Author: larswrites

A frugal wanderer. Agriculturist. Lover of life and people. Adventure seeker. A typical human being who tries to live a healthy life and is occasionally lost in time and space.

December 25: 4 easy things (to start before 2024 that will create change in you)

It is 7 days before the start of a new year. We always have our list of New Year’s resolution but as the year unfolds, think about the list you made starting this year. Have you checked any of those? Most likely not unless you made a big change in your life. It is easy to write your goals but hard to be committed and have the discipline. Committing and having the discipline both needs creation of routine. The three things I am listing today are a must to include in your list. Start making it a routine 7 days before the year ends, do not skip even a day until January 1st.

1. 5-minute meditation after getting up and before going to bed

It will nourish your soul. This will also create better focus and attention. Try not to open any app in your phone after opening your eyes in the morning and move your phone farther from your bed before sleeping then meditate for 5 minutes. Focus on your breathing and relax.

2. 10-minute exercise in the morning and in the afternoon

It will nourish your body. Whichever exercise you get fun doing, allocate at least 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon to move your body.

3. 15-minute journaling

It will nourish your heart. Write down things you are grateful. Your emotions. What made you happy or stressed. Think about how you will start your day and contemplate on how you will gonna end it.

4. 20-minute reading

It will nourish your mind. Fictional, self-help, scientific article or news. Make it a habit to read without distractions for 20 minutes. Seeing different perspectives will create a new way of you looking at life.

Easy to make Pinoy dessert – maja blanca (coconut pudding)

After Christmas, we are going to prepare for the New Year’s dinner. In the Philippines, we call it media noche. Now that I live outside my home country, I usually want to bring something Filipino in gatherings like Christmas or New Year’s eve dinner. However, I often struggle what to make that is easy to make but will still tastes good and ingredients are available in the nearest grocery. And it dawned me – why not make maja blanca.

Maja blanca is like pudding but you do not need to bake it! It is a Filipino dessert or snack mainly made of coconut milk. Below it the ingredients and how to make it:

Ingredients:

400-ml coconut milk

350-ml evaporated milk

400-ml condensed milk

1/2-tsp salt

1/2-cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2-cup corn starch

1 1/2-cup water

1-cup whole kernel corn

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes

Procedure:

1. Combine coconut milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk in a pot. Put the pot in a stove under medium heat. Mix it well until there is no curds.

2. Add the sugar and salt in the mixture and mix.

3. Dissolve well the corn starch in the water. Make sure there is no corn starch curds in the water and the mixture is homogenous. Add this to the simmering pot of milk mixture.

4. Continuously mix until it begins thickening and then add the corn. Make sure to add the corn when the mixture is not very thin but before it gets very thick.

5. Mix very well until all the corn kernels are evenly distributed and the mixture gets thick.

6. To make it very Pinoy, put it in a bilao. But, if bilao is not available, the baking pan will work fine.

7. Cool and serve with cheese (optional)

December 24: Christmas eve (just be grateful)

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you are having a heart full of gratefulness tonight as you eat with your loved ones. And let us not forget the reason of the season.

December 22: endure (cos you have to try until you get it)

most of the time we think things as impossible.

but they are not.

we just have to try.

then try again.

and again.

and again.

do not give up on yourself.

keep trying.

December 21: imagine (that in the end we will all become ashes)

Have you been in a constant state of worrying the past days because you think you are a failure or destined to fail?

These emotions are valid. Acknowledge it.

But, try to calm yourself and remember that you have to live your life the way the universe engineered you. You are destined to flourish. Give your best and see where the waves will take you.

Switch perspective. Imagine that in the end we will all die and our anxieties and worries will be pointless. Enjoy life!

December 20: forgiving (is learning to let go)

The consequence of bad habits is often regretful because we had a choice at that point but we chose instant gratification.

Regret is the worst feeling. It is like someone hurt you a lot and you could not even face that person. In this case that person is you.

No need to stay in that feeling. Forgive yourself and let go of what happened already. But after letting go, do better.

Happiness is a choice. We choose to hold on to the pain or we choose to let go. The latter will make you sleep better at night. Letting go of what is hurting you I guess is what real forgiveness is about. Without letting go, there will be no forgiveness and without forgiveness there will be no inner peace.

Forgiving will always boil down to letting go of anything that caused you pain. Let it go.

My new travel destination list

It looks impossible now but why not? Creating goals is free, so dream the impossible. There’s no harm in dreaming, right? It can fuel you to give your best by looking in your list reminding you that you were not born rich so get up and work you ass off! LOL.

Europe tour

Switzerland

Spain

Italy

Amsterdam

Poland

Germany

Greece

Iceland

London

Asia tour

Vietnam

India

Cambodia

Thailand

Indonesia

Singapore

Hongkong

South America

Brazil

Uguay

Colombia

Ecuador

Argentina

Peru

Mexico

Africa

Morocco

Botswana

Zambia

Rwanda

Madagascar

Others:

Egypt

Australia

New Zealand

Alaska, USA

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Alberta, Canada

It’s the perfect time to devise your travel bucket list for 2024. You may not cross everything or even one in your list but do not get disheartened and push yourself further. Believe in yourself. Work hard. You can do this! Happy traveling!

December 19: sleep (knowing that you did your best today)

While writing this I am very very sleepy!

But, this will be one of the most peaceful sleep I will have compared to weeks ago. I was not able to tick off all my to-dos but I feel like I resisted a lot of temptations today and gave my better version on the things I have in my plate.

It is so rewarding to end the day with progress made with all the energy you have for the day.

I guess I will sleep peacefully knowing that I did my best today. I hope you would as well.

December 18: sadness (is ok, normal and a privelege)

I was feeling homesick the past two days.

I was sad. I cried. And it is ok.

It is normal to feel sad. We are human beings capable of having different emotions. Besides, how can you appreciate happiness if you don’t know the feeling of sadness.

Being sad can also be a privelege. I was priveleged to be sad because I was homesick. It was not because my family do not have food the next day nor because I lost a child in a war. It was a privelege to acknowledge that I am sad because I miss home.

It’s a dangerous thing – to be sad and not able to acknowledge it. In this journey of building good habits we may feel sadness as we transition in becoming a better person because we are moving out of our comfort zone. Embrace it. See the beauty in it.